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PAINKILLERS, STIMULANTS, AND OTHER PRESCRIPTION DRUGS
CHAPTER ONE: WHAT ARE PRESCRIPTION DRUGS?
There is one tiny element of truth here. Prescription drugs are safer
than illegal drugs in the sense that they are more pure. As long as they
were made by a reputable company, they were not “cut” with potentially
toxic additives, as so-called “street” or “hard” drugs often are. Also
there is usually (not always) far less physical danger involved in acquiring
prescription drugs.
But in every other sense, there is no real difference between hard drugs
and the ones that come from the pharmacy. The popular painkiller called
OxyContin has the same chemistry as heroin. Medications for attention
deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are members of the same drug family
as both cocaine and meth. And all the drugs covered in this volume can
be highly dangerous if they are used in ways other than how they are
By definition, the drugs discussed in this volume should only be taken
under a doctor’s orders. The reasoning behind this is clear: in the
interest of public safety, laws try to ensure that dangerous drugs are
only used when they are absolutely needed. But this assumes that a
doctor can know precisely what a patient does and does not need. In
the real world, it doesn’t always work this way.
There is no test that can prove whether or not a patient is in pain.
There’s also no way for a doctor to know how many other doctors a
patient has visited. So it is something of a guessing game as to whether
or not the patient is being honest about his need for medication.
People seeking prescription drugs for nonmedical uses have been
known to lie to doctors about their symptoms. They have also been
known to visit more than one doctor, to obtain prescriptions from each.
This practice is called “doctor shopping.”
Different states have different laws regarding doctor shopping,
but it most places, it is considered a criminal act to lie to a
healthcare provider in order to obtain prescription medicine.
Another problem with doctor shopping is that the practice can make
healthcare providers deeply suspicious of anyone who comes in
looking for pain medicine. Sometimes people with legitimate medical
needs have trouble getting treated, because doctors have had so
many run-ins with doctor-shoppers. I love this sidebar—and wonder
if maybe it should end with an implication or actionable advice? Or
maybe something like… Many states are cracking down on doctor
shopping by creating prescription medicine registries and enacting
harsh penalties for individuals caught in the act.
At times it can be difficult for doctors to tell
whether patients who ask for pain medications
truly need them or not.
DOCTOR SHOPPING